Sobre empatia e revolução industrial

“For thousands of years, people made things for other people they knew. Cobblers made shoes for people who lived down the street. That intimacy helped a cobbler know whether you had flat feet, liked to walk, or sprained your ankle last summer. All of that ended when something transformative happened to human society; a rift grew between producers and consumers that we’ve been struggling to repair ever since.”

The empathy thing, the thinking-like-the-consumer thing, isn’t a new philosophy. It’s old. Crazy old, in fact. Patnaik goes on to credit the explosion of commerce the Industrial Revolution brought for separating the producer from the consumer. Fantastic for productivity, but perhaps distracted from a focus on the relationship with the consumer. Prior to the explosion of industry, empathy wasn’t a business initiative; it just was. Now, businesses like Harley-Davidson and Microsoft are living and dying by their ability to be the ball. And businesses who aren’t never seem to be quite right. Is it possible to have a smash hit product when you can’t think what your consumer is thinking? Is it possible to fit a need you aren’t 100% sure exists?

Essa frase aqui é muito foda:

Prior to the explosion of industry, empathy wasn’t a business initiative; it just was.

E não se engane: empatia não tem a ver com simpatia.

Empathy, in this case, referring to the idea that businesses are best seeded for prosperity when they can put themselves in the shoes of their consumers.